Improvement in preserving milk



BEST AVAlLABLE cor! UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE;

CHARLES A. CATLIN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

*lMPROVEMENT lN PRESERVlNG MILK.

i ffltioii forming pa t f Lett rs Patent I To. 2hi.l19,-dated April 22, 1879; .npplimit-ionfiled I-cbrunry 11, 1879.

To all zchom it may concern Be it known that I, GHAnLnsA. CATLIN,

concentrated milk in the state of a dry pow-- der, whichshall preserve all its valuable properties for any desired time, and be readily available for all purposes for which milk is used.

Concentrated milk is now produced by evaporating a. mixture of milk and sugar to athick flnirh, and for preservation it is packed in hermeticallysealed vessels. It has the disagreeable taste of boiled milk, and contains by addition a large amount of sugar, and rapidly deteriorates when exposed. to the air. The product of my process has not the ohjeo tionable boiled taste. It contains but an in- IlllltBSllllttl amount of foreign matter. It is a dry powder, not afi'ected. by ordinary atmospheric conditions, and nniy be kept in loose packages. 1

My process is as follows: I moisten any suitable absorbing powder, such as starch, dextrine, sugar, or indeed any harmless absorbing medium, with it quantity of fresh milk, SUIIIClOlIt) to produce a friable mass, not agglutinnted,"but susceptible of being readily crumbled into granules, to better expose it to the-influence of a. current of cool dry air, to which I now expose it. By cool dry air I mean air at a temperature below that at which milk is liable to undergo deterioration or change -say, theretorc, below 60, or between 40 and (10, Filllll'flllltilt. In this manner it readily dries when spread in thin layers. \Yhcn it is dried, it necessary, I again reduce it to a powder, and again moisten it, in the manner above described, with more fresh milk, and again dry it, and so on, powdering, moistcning, and drying, the dried powder of it previous process furnishing the absorbent for each l'resh addition of milk.

'Io render the dried milk more readily soluble, if desired, I add in the process a small amount of carbonate of an alkali, and, it thought desirable, a small amouutof com mon salt, borax, or other preservative may be added; but for ordinary purposes I have found these unnecessary.

The following. description will serve to'more' fully illustrate my process.

Starting out with a regular supply of milk night and morning, I use such a quantity of absorbent as when moistened with the -quentity of milk received, say, in the morning, and

dried, shall produce the desired friable mass. I subject the moistened mass to the action of currents of air; and before the evening supply of milk is received ,it is dried, and after being powdered is ready to act as an'absorben for that supply..ivithmvhiclnit -is .moist..,

cued. This in turn before the next morning is ready to play the part of absorbent again,

and so on. and day.

Any kind of apparatus for cooling air or of forcing or passiu g the same. over or through the milk imbued or coated mass may be used, and needs not particular description here, as such is well known and in common use; but I have used an apparatus specially adapted for the purpose, and which is the subject-matter of a pending application for separate Letters Patent.

The process is continued night The product after a time will be found to contain only a trace of theoriginal absorbent,

and each day a portion may be taken from it equal to the daily increase in weight, and this when groupd and packed is ready for the market. I

For effecting. the pulverizing, any ordinary or suitable means may be employed. I do not intend to limit my invention to any particular form of apparatus.

Having thus described my invention and the manner in which the some is or may be carried into effect, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of preserving milk by removing or separating its watery constituents, and converting the residue into a solid, dry, and friable substance, substantially as de scribed.

2. The method of converting milk into a 4. Milk powder formed at a low temperadry and solid mass, capable of reduction to true, substantially as set forth. powder by the initiatory use of an absorbent, In testimony whereof I have signed this and by confirming said propess by means of specification in the presence of two subscribthe already-formed dry or pulverulentmass, ing witnesses. substantially as described.

3. The hereiu-deserihed new product or an tiele ofma-nul'irctnre, the same being substantially milk in a dry friable form.

CHAS. A. GATLIX.

Witnesses: I

WALTER B. VINCENT, HENRY A. (1 121mm). 

